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    The Autumn Engagement
    The Autumn Engagement
    The Autumn Engagement
    Ebook58 pages47 minutes

    The Autumn Engagement

    By Stephen Cote

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    About this ebook

    War is extinct. Baseball games are the preferred method to resolve disputes, and Janus Franko is a genetically engineered pitcher for the United States of North America national team. But, one bad pitch cost him his wife, career, and reputation. Eight months later, he is presented an opportunity to prove that he didn't throw the game. To find the persons responsible, he will have to attend a party catering to the ultra-wealthy where the dress code mandates a robot date on his arm.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherStephen Cote
    Release dateNov 3, 2011
    ISBN9781466148208
    The Autumn Engagement
    Author

    Stephen Cote

    I am a software and security architect and manager. I enjoy writing hard and whimsical science fiction, adult fantasy, and poetry. As an early advocate of Creative Commons licensing, many of my short stories and poems have been available online since 1996.If you would like to learn more about my writing, open source projects, please contact me at sw.cote@gmail.com.

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      Book preview

      The Autumn Engagement - Stephen Cote

      The Autumn Engagement

      Stephen W. Cote

      Copyright Stephen W. Cote 2001

      Published at Smashwords

      First published by Inkblot Books, 2001.

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      Thank you for downloading this free ebook. Although this is a free book, it remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com, where they can also discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.

      About the Author

      Hello and thank you for reading. My name is Stephen W. Cote. I am a Software Engineer and Consultant, a United States Marine, a martial artist, and an author. You can find more information about my early creative writing and ongoing open source projects on whitefrost.com. I enjoy writing hard and whimsical science fiction, adult fantasy, and poetry. As an early advocate of Creative Commons licensing, many of my short stories and poems have been available online since 1996.

      If you enjoyed this story, or my other free stories, you may also be interested in my fantasy novel, Harlot's Eight, or my short story collection Nothing Like Heaven.

      If you would like to learn more about my writing, open source projects such as the Hemi JavaScript Framework, or inquire about unpublished manuscripts and shorts, please contact me at whitefrost.com.

      Thank you for taking the time to read my work and I hope you enjoy it.

      Part 1: Freeze Framed Failure

      A three-dimensional kaleidoscope of advertisements and spectators flickered and became pixilated whenever the music started to play. At the worst moment, the inset speakers in the ceiling rattled to a tinny rendition of the Andromeda Galaxy Orchestra playing the Star Spangled Banner. The music sputtered, and three kids in the bleachers behind the dugout froze for a full second as the visiting team leapt to their feet in triumphant cheers. The World Historians Society had recorded every detail of the baseball game.

      Moments prior: Bottom of the ninth, a Great Britain National Team runner on second base, and their premiere batter facing a wicked arm from the Cascadia National Team.

      Excitement tinged Janus Franko's spine as eight month-old game footage played in staccato 3D on the worker-class apartment walls. With perfect control of movement, his doppelganger gave no indication the pitch would send the ball astray. However, one tenth of a second after the ball left his hand, he knew it would sink too early.

      Janus ceased playback. The ambrosia of champagne and salmon roe momentarily infused the air, and he recalled the affluent ambiance of his high-class suite. Then he held in his grasp a cornucopia-dream of fame, fantastic wealth and perfect love. To once more savor its succulence. Within the hour following Cascadia’s loss, the triumvirate - fame, wealth, and love – quickly began to disintegrate.

      He managed to rationalize his love for Priscilla an indulgence, and his fortune didn't matter as much as the lump in his chest suggested. But no lie hid the loss of social exuberance accompanying excessive wealth, fame, and perfect love. Gazing at the chalky apartment walls, he wished his copy of the winter festival recorded two years prior hadn't met an untimely fate with the trash disposal. Then, his relationship with Priscilla had been in fine form. Wearing a radiant near-translucent gown, she played perfectly her role of swooning lover.

      The irony of destroying the best recordings: I can only freeze-frame my failures.

      And without the reminder of success, failure replayed permanently. When not replaying the last game, his mind roamed between the climactic finale of his accounts being drained and Priscilla walking out. Baseball is life. But not anymore.

      He wrote a cuss word on a bit of paper, wadded it up, and studied the trajectory as he flicked it at Priscilla’s picture. His lips curled into

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